Miranda Warnings Law and Legal Definition
Miranda warnings are required warnings the police have been required to recite to an arrested person, involving the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney. These are also often referred to as the "Miranda rights." When you have been read your rights, you are said to have been "Mirandized." Miranda warnings are required to be given after being taken into custody and before questioning by authorities. A person who has been taken into custody and not been given a Miranda warning may have any statements or confessions they made excluded as evidence in their prosecution.
Different versions of the warning exist, but the following is a standard version:
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to be speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense."
